¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche?

In this sentence, vamos most naturally means shall we go? or are we going?, depending on context.

On its own, vamos is literally we go, from ir (to go). But in real Spanish, the present tense is often used for:

• suggestions: ¿Vamos...? = Shall we go...?
• plans: Vamos esta noche = We’re going tonight

So in ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche?, the most likely idea is:

• Shall we go to the festival tonight? or
• Are we going to the festival tonight?

The exact nuance comes from tone and situation.

Spanish usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form vamos already tells you the subject is we (nosotros/nosotras), so saying nosotros would often be unnecessary.

So:

• ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche? = natural
• ¿Nosotros vamos a la verbena esta noche? = possible, but usually only if you want emphasis or contrast

For example:

• Ellos no van, pero ¿nosotros vamos?
  They aren’t going, but are we going?

Because with ir (to go), Spanish normally uses a before the destination.

So:

• ir a Madrid = to go to Madrid
• ir al cine = to go to the cinema
• ir a la verbena = to go to the festival

Here, a + la stays a la:

• a la verbena

Compare that with:

• a + el = al
• vamos al cine but
• vamos a la verbena

In Spain, verbena usually refers to a local outdoor festival or street celebration, often held at night, especially in summer or during a town’s patron-saint festivities.

It often suggests things like:

• music
• dancing
• food stalls
• fairground atmosphere
• people gathering in the street or town square

So it is not just any party. It has a specifically Spanish cultural feel: a festive public celebration, often traditional or community-based.

Yes. Verbena is a feminine noun, so it takes:

• la verbena
• una verbena

That is why the sentence says:

• ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche?

Not:

• el verbena

Spanish often expresses tonight as esta noche, literally this night.

So:

• esta noche = tonight
• esta mañana = this morning
• esta tarde = this afternoon / this evening

In Spain, esta noche is the normal, very natural way to say tonight.

You may also hear:

• hoy por la noche = tonight / later tonight

But esta noche is shorter and very common.

Yes. It can mean either one.

Depending on context, ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche? can mean:

• Shall we go to the festival tonight? → suggestion
• Are we going to the festival tonight? → asking about a plan

Spanish often leaves this kind of distinction to:

• tone of voice
• facial expression
• the conversation around it

So the grammar allows both readings.

It could be ¿Vamos a ir a la verbena esta noche?, but that sounds a bit more explicit.

Spanish often uses the simple present for near-future plans:

• Mañana salimos temprano = Tomorrow we’re leaving early
• Esta noche vamos a la verbena = Tonight we’re going to the festival

So ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche? is shorter and very natural.

Meanwhile:

• ¿Vamos a ir a la verbena esta noche? can sound more like Are we going to be going to the festival tonight? / Are we going to go tonight?, with extra focus on the future action.

Yes. In standard Spanish, questions are written with:

• an opening question mark: ¿
• a closing question mark: ?

So the correct punctuation is:

• ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche?

This helps the reader know from the beginning that the sentence is a question.

A natural Spain Spanish pronunciation would be roughly:

BA-mos a la ber-BE-na ES-ta NO-che

A few useful points:

• v in vamos sounds very similar to Spanish b
• verbena has the stress on be: ver-BE-na
• esta has the stress on es
• noche has the stress on no
• in most of Spain, ch in noche is like English ch in church

A broad approximation in English spelling would be: BAH-mos ah lah ber-BEH-nah ES-tah NOH-cheh

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly.

• ¿Vamos a la verbena esta noche? suggests a specific festival, probably one both speakers already know about.
• ¿Vamos a una verbena esta noche? means Shall we go to a festival tonight?, with a less specific sense.

So the original sentence sounds like:

• there is a particular local verbena
• both speakers probably know which one is meant